Chamisa ridicules Timba, Biti for leading forums against CAB3

Former opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has come under pressure after audio recordings allegedly capturing him criticising politicians leading campaigns against Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 surfaced publicly.

The leaked audio emerged shortly after Chamisa accused the Daily News of fabricating claims that he had dismissed opposition-led initiatives against the proposed constitutional changes.

In the recording, Chamisa appears to question the legitimacy and authority of politicians spearheading anti-amendment campaigns, including his former allies Jameson Timba and Tendai Biti.

Timba, who now leads the Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP), has become one of the most prominent voices opposing alleged attempts by ZANU-PF to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule beyond 2030 through Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3.

In the audio, Chamisa criticises politicians who assume leadership positions in anti-amendment movements without what he describes as a public mandate.

"You just wake up one day and you're Timba and saying you are now a convenor of a certain group – who gave you the mandate?" Chamisa is heard saying.

"And you want to rally people around, as who? You have actually started on the wrong position because you have already abrogated to yourself authority, power, influence, stature and title you do not have."

The remarks are expected to deepen tensions within Zimbabwe's fractured opposition landscape, which has struggled to regroup since Chamisa's dramatic exit from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the party he founded in 2022.

Although Chamisa returned to active politics earlier this year, promising to challenge ZANU-PF over efforts to extend Mnangagwa's tenure, critics within the opposition have increasingly accused him of failing to take decisive action against the proposed constitutional amendments despite his significant support base.

In another part of the leaked recording, Chamisa also takes aim at Biti, questioning his authority to convene political initiatives.

"Who told you, Biti, to be the convenor of an organisation?" Chamisa says.

"You have a right to say, ‘You voted for me as an MP of Mt Pleasant, I am proposing this also.' You have a basis and mandate. You cannot come from nowhere."

The latest controversy is likely to intensify debate over leadership, legitimacy and strategy within Zimbabwe's opposition movement as political tensions continue to rise ahead of parliamentary discussions on the constitutional amendment proposal.